Beth Mead and Lotte Wubben-Moy have withdrawn from the England squad, paving the way for Chloe Kelly to earn a Lionesses recall.
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Kelly was initially left out of England squadMead & Wubben-Moy have now withdrawnPaving way for their Arsenal team-mate to returnFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Kelly was initially left out of Sarina Wiegman's squad for the February international break, owing to a lack of minutes. However, the withdrawal of two of her Arsenal team-mates has seen her brought in for the upcoming games against Portugal and Spain, just a day after she made her second debut for the Gunners following a January loan move.
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Mead has been struggling with a calf strain in recent weeks and has not played in either of Arsenal's last two outings, despite being on the bench for Sunday's win over Tottenham. Wubben-Moy, meanwhile, was missing from that squad due to a knock, one significant enough to rule her out of this camp. Lucy Parker, the Aston Villa defender, has taken her place in the team.
DID YOU KNOW?
Mead and Wubben-Moy's injuries inflict further absences on an England team that is already without a number of stars for the start of the new Women's Nations League campaign. Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Georgia Stanway are all sidelined after undergoing knee surgeries, though Wiegman is at least able to call upon Lauren James, Ella Toone and Niamh Charles again.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?
The Lionesses' first fixture of 2025 will see them take on Portugal on Friday before they then return to England to welcome Spain, the world champions, to Wembley next week.
